Yangon , Myanmar -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When Burmese commuters have an accident they do n't dial 911 or any ordinary emergency service .

They call the country 's version of Marlon Brando , a heartthrob in the 1980s and 90s who turned his back on the film industry to run a fleet of ambulances and bury the nation 's dead .

A household name in Myanmar , which is also known as Burma , Kyaw Thu has starred in more than 200 films , and even took home a Myanmar Academy Award in 1994 for best actor in `` Da-Byi-Thu Ma Shwe Hta . ''

He followed it up with best director for `` Amay No Bo '' in 2003 , but by then his head had already been turned by the story of an old woman left to die alone in hospital .

`` The doctor warned the patient 's family that she was close to death . After that they disappeared . A few days later she passed away -- so this dead body had no owner , '' Kyaw Thu told CNN at this office on the outskirts of Yangon , Myanmar 's largest city .

He later found out that the woman 's family could n't afford a funeral service . At the time , it was n't uncommon ; poor families would often sneak out in the dead of night to bury their dead , he said .

And so began the Free Funeral Service Society , founded in collaboration with multi-award winning late Burmese writer and director Thukha , which now also provides a free library , education , medical , dental care and disaster relief .

From films to funerals

Kyaw Thu 's decision to leave the film industry was n't entirely his own . In 2007 , he was arrested and later banned from the film industry after being accused of supporting the Saffron Revolution .

That year , the Myanmar military staged a violent crackdown on the largest anti-government demonstrations since 1988 . Led by monks , tens of thousands of Burmese marched through the streets to protest plans to cut fuel subsidies .

Kyaw Thu does n't deny that he helped them but says that the society 's policy of aiding people `` regardless of social status , national and religion '' meant that no one was turned away .

He says he 's on better terms with the current government led by President Thein Sein , who came to power in 2011 , ending 50 years of military rule .

However , he says not enough is being done to repair the country 's patchy public services and protect the country 's poor . `` We are showing the government what we need to do , '' he said .

He claimed the government is out of touch with what 's happening on the ground , as are foreign investors , who he says go straight to the capital Naypyidaw to listen to politicians rather than the people .

`` I want to make a suggestion : before they go to Naypyidaw they should meet the CSOs and NGOs who are really doing things for Burma so they know what 's really happening , '' he said .

`` So after they meet with the CSOs and NGOs they 'll have information -- they 'll know the reality . So they can criticize and they can negotiate and they can discuss with the government and other parties . ''

He says other parties need to do more to deliver on their promises by using their own funding , rather than seeing him as a bank .

A country on the mend ?

Kyaw Thu spoke with CNN as hundreds of delegates arrived in the country for the World Economic Forum on East Asia , two days of talks on how the country can shake off the legacy of its past .

As well as basic , if not non-existent , public services , the country is saddled with crumbling buildings , potholed roads , a patchy telecommunications network and an outdated electricity network that only services a quarter of the population of 60 million people .

Under the control of military leaders , Myanmar 's economy stagnated so much so that in 1990 its per capita GDP growth was at a similar level to that recorded in 1900 , according to a recent report from McKinsey & Company .

There 's much that needs to be fixed , but money is needed .

Kyaw Thu 's society relies on donations and an army of volunteers -- around 500 a day -- who do everything from carrying caskets to preparing bodies for burial . Trained doctors and nurses man the hospitals and clinics where patients are offered everything from eye surgery to maternity care and blood transfusions .

The extent of their work can be seen in hundreds of laminated photos pinned on notice boards , which line the halls of the company 's headquarters . One shows a newly married couple -- still in their wedding clothes -- carrying a casket ; they came to volunteer straight after the service , he said .

Others show shots of aid workers digging wells and bringing supplies to cyclone-hit residents , students sitting learning in class and then , incongruously , a couple of images of mutilated bodies -- all part of a day 's work for the society .

Message to Burmese people : ` Please be united '

Kyaw Thu may be incredibly popular in Myanmar , providing services that in many countries are promised by politicians , but he says he has no plans to enter politics .

`` No , '' he said , shaking his head , `` I have no ambition to make a political party . '' He says his motivation is altruism ; he does n't need power , glory or adoration .

`` When we are giving the aid to the people , we do n't expect any kind of benefit or opportunity . When we help , if they 're happy , I 'm also happy . ''

He supports Nobel laureate and leader of the National League of Democracy , Aung San Suu Kyi -- her image hangs on the walls of his office -- but says Burma 's people need to drop their unquestioning admiration of Suu Kyi and her father , the late General Aung San , and start following their lead .

`` People are not following their speech . They are very impressed . They say we love Aung San Suu Kyi , we love General Aung San ... but they 're not following their policy . They 're not implementing what they 're saying . This is the problem with Burmese people . ''

Kyaw Thu is dismayed by the outbreaks of ethnic violence around the country that have strained relations between Burmese Buddhists and the minority Muslim population .

He said the society has not been allowed to travel west to Rakhine State where Rohingya Muslims are alleged by human rights groups to be suffering systematic abuse amounting to `` ethnic cleansing . ''

`` They -LRB- the government -RRB- say it 's very dangerous and very difficult . So we have no chance to go to the desperate people , '' Kyaw Thu said .

He said the pace of Myanmar 's transformation , from a military state to thriving democracy at peace with ethnic rivalries , depends on the attitudes of ordinary people . Decades of military rule had produced bad attitudes , he said .

`` If the attitudes of normal citizens change and are good -- within five years it will change , '' he said .

`` I want to give the message to all people in Burma : Please be united . ''

Han Thar Nyein contributed to this report .

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Award-winning Burmese actor gave up films to operate free funeral services

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Kyaw Thu was considered a heartthrob in the 1980s and 1990s

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He formed Free Funeral Service Society after hearing the story of a woman abandoned in hospital

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Society now provides ambulance , hospital , disaster relief and education services